Automobile body handling



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Cino *M ATTFNEY ya @mh w3@ T. www www@ AUTOMOBILE BODY HANDLING 4 Original Filed GZ. l2 1926 3 Sheets- Shemlf 2 lmwh Ml, E93@ n "g1 WD5/HNE AUTOMOBILE BODY HANDLING Original Filed A001;. 3 Sheets-@MM 3 @will @RNW llateitted it, rese MCHIGAN, ASSIGNORTO HU'DSDN' MDTE GAR COMPANY, F SDETRT, MIGHGAN, il. UORPRTION 0F :MICHEGAN anroiironrtn iionr aanname pplication tiled otober 1%, 1926, Serial lilo. 141,133.. Renewed .'luly 5, 1mm..

This invention relates to the handling, transporting and y storing of automobile bodies, the invention having for one of its objects the handling of automobile bodies in such manner as to require half the oor or ground space heretofore required for moving, storing or housing bodies during'production in factories, plants or storage places, and wherein a considerable saving in laborA is made aswell as enabling the bodies ,to be moved-andconveyed from point to pointmorerapidly and easily and with less danger of rmarring, scratching or otherwise damaging the bodies where they are enamelled or painted.

Another-object of the invention is to en` able twice as manybodies to' be accommodated at one time in the bake-od' ovens, or at many'other stages of production, thereby enabling under many prevailing conditions at plants', twice the bodies to be worked on in the same time, space, and lwith the same labor as heretofore. v v

IOther objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims', reference being had to the accom illustrative of the inven- :panying drawin A tion, wherein li e reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. y

Fig. 1 is; a side elevation showing a port- Yable rack or truck for carrying the bodies.

in doublefdeck relation;

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustratingthe unloading of the bodies double-deckfrom a double-deck trailer or conveyance.

Fig. 4 is a detailview showingone of the 440 swinging locking members.

Before explaining in detail the resent invention, and the method or mode ooperation embodied therein, it is tobeunderstood that the invention is not limited-in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of` parts illustrated in the accom-l panylng drawings, since the invention is capractised or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or 'terminologyemployed herein is for the `purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the several claims hereto appended or the requirements of the lprior art.

pable of other embodiments and of being 'lhe handling of automobile bodies in body plants'and automobile plants, the transportation of finished bodies from body plants to factories where the bodies are assembled on the chassisof the cars, the movement of the 'and deposited at successive stages in production or transportation, and special equipment is required for lifting or hoisting bodies lfrom point to point. Considerable valuable floor space must be allotted to the storage of a supply of bodies in advance of production requirements. Furthermore, the ,balie oven capacity in plants has been limited at any given time to the number of bodies occupylng a" given floor space or area.

One of the features ofthe present' invention is to enable twice as many bodies to be handled, loaded,.unloaded or conveyed at one time, 'and twice as many bodies to be stored vor operated upon in then same floor space as heretofore, and twice as many bodies to be accommodated in the bake-olf ovens as heretofore as well as eliminating considerable labor and time in'the' movement of bodies during process or stages of production or transportation.

the bodies may for instance be transported from a body plant to the assembly plant on a conveyance such as a double-deck trailer Y. A preferred construction of this trailer is shown and 'described in my co-pending application Serial No.' 133,37 5, filed September 3, 1926. According to said application the trailer is constructed with upper and lower decks and a number of bodies such as eightl may be carried on each deck, enabling such a vehicle to carry at one time as many as sixteen bodies. Each upper and lower body A -riesa and B is mounted on a pair of front and rear so-called aint sticks or caster bars 9 and 1.0, each o these paint sticks as described in my above application comprising an inverted channel bar carrying at opposite ends thereof a pair of swivelled caster wheels 11. The channel bar of each paint stick is detachably connected to the bottom of the body so that the bodies may be readily moved from place to place on the iioors of the plant on the caster wheels 11.

In Fi 1 and 2, I have illustrated a portable rac or conveyance constructed .in such manner as to enable two bodies to be carried at one time in double-deck relation. This rtable device or conveyance in the present instance comprises a skeleton frame C constructed to house within the -frame the lower body A'and also constructed to carry on the ltop of the frame the upper body B. The

frame C is made up of a base comprising longitudinal side bars 12 preferablyof angle iron construction which are connected together at opposite ends by means of trans` verse an le iron or structural bars 13. The front an rear transverse bars 13 each car- Hair of swivelled casters 14 at opposite ends t ereof which may of any suitable construction.

Mounted on the base frame members 12 and 13 at opposite sides of the rack are a plurality of upright frame members 15 and 16 also referably of angle iron construction, and ese sets of frame members are connected at the to by means of a frame comprising lengthwise extending side bars 17 and end bars 18. The several to side and bottom frame members forming t e frame work of the rack are suitably connectedtoofether at their joints b means of gusset plates 19, therebyl p'ovi n a strong, rigid and relatively 'g t porta le rack or frame.

Mounted on the bottom frame members 13 of the frame interiorly thereof are a pair of spaced parallel channel members 20 which are secured thereto. These channel members are spaced a art a distance suitable to accommodate t e caster wheels 11 of the paint stick bars and to form guides therefor. It will thus be seen that an automobile body previously mounted on front and rear caster In Fig. 3 I have illustrated by way of exbars 9 and 10 maybe moved on its caster ample a stage 1n the handling of odies Where wheels directly into the interior of the skeleton frame C with the caster wheels 11 travelling in the guide channels 20.

Mounted on the up er frame members 18 of the rack are a pair o spaced parallel channel members 21 similar in construction to the members 20. These upper channel members are also s aced apart a suitable distance to accomm ate the caster wheels 11 of the front and rear paint'sticks on which the upper body B is detachably mounted. It will, therefore, be seen that the upper body B may be rolled on to the to of the rack -frame C with the caster' whee s 11 travelling in the spaced guide channels 21. It will be understood that the up er and lower guides 20 and 21 with their anges act to confine the caster wheels of the paint sticks, guide them in the proper direction and revent the caster wheels from swivelling an getting out of alinement.

Means is provided for releasably locking l each of the u per and lower bodies in position on the rame, and this means in the present embodiment of the invention is identical for each upper and lower body and comprises xed locking members and releasable locking members. The upper and lower sets of locking members are identical an'd therefore a description of one set suiices in each instance.

Secured to the inner side of each of the channel guides 20 and 21 adjacent the rear end of the frame C is an abutment 22, see Fig. 1. This member 22 is formed from an angle iron bar having an upstanding vertical portion and a forwardly extending bend portion 22 forming a hook adapted to lit over the rear caster bar 10. Each member 22, two being provided for each of the upper and lower bodies, is herein termed for convenience a locking member and acts as an abutment or stop against which the rear paint stick bars 10 enga e when the body is rolled on to the frame t ereby limiting the movement of the body. A pair of front locking members are provided for each of the u per and lower paint sticks 9. Each of said ont locking members vcomprises an angle iron member 23 bent rearwardly at its upper end 23a to provide a hook similar to the rear locking member 22. The locking member 23 is pivoted at its lower end 24 to one of the guide channels 2O or 21. Pivoted at 25 to each member 23 at a point above the pivot 24 is a forwardly extending operating link 26. This link 26 is formed from an angle iron bar and the forward end of the link is bent to'provide a horizontal portion 26a| adapted cured to the liange 26" near t e free end weones thereof and this pin yis adapted to drop into ahole 29 in the plate 27. Secured to the end of the operating link 26 is a rod 30 forming a handle by means of which the operator may raise the free end o't' the link 26 so as to withdraw the pin 28 trom the hole 29. Thereupon the, operatorrnay pull the link 26 'orwardly thereby swinging the locking member 23 downwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. t. ln this manner the swinging locking members 23 may be swung away trom the front caster bars 9 and below the plane of these bars to permit the body to be rolled `torwardly oft' the frame, it bein understood that the locking members l23 will be swung low enough so that the front and rear paint stick bars 9and l0 will clear these locking members. o .Y

Referring to Fig. 3, l have illustrated one manner of unloading and loading automobile bodies in double-deck relation. The trailer Y is run into position alongside the loading dock L or other suitable platform. rlhe portoit the trailer on to the frame G.

able rack C is moved into position adjacent a pair of double-deck compartments of the trailer as shown in Fig. 3. 'lhe lower and upper bodies A and B are then rolled out It will b-e understood with reference t0 my above mentioned application that the trailer is provided with swinging channel ramps adapted to be` swung down into position to bridge the space between the'trailer and the loadin rack C, so that the bodiesy can be rolled arom the trailer directly on to the loading rack` C in double-deck relation. As above described the caster wheels on which each of the bodies is mounted will travel through the channel guides 20 and 21 until the rear paint sticks 10 engage the upper .and lower deck fined abutments or locking members 22, which will hook over the paint stick bars at opposite endsY thereof. At this' point the operator swings the locking members 23 upwardly so that the portions 23L will hook over the front paint sticks 9, while the vertical portions of the locking members 23 will engage the paint stick bars 9 so as to clamp the `front and rear paint sticks tightly between the front and rear pairs of locking members. The locking pins 28 are' then inserted or dropped into the holes 29 resulting in firmly holding the y paint stick bars for each body in position and preventing forward or rear movement of the lcaster wheels. In addition it will be noted that the flanges of the channel guides 20 and 21 will prevent any substantial turnin or swivelling movement ofy the caster w eels. After the bodies have been loaded double-deck on the rack C, the latter 'may beY pushed or lconveyed to any desired YVpointinthe plant.v

readily It will be understood-that thebodies may i be loaded double-deck on the rack from elevators or from a freight car or 1n any'otherA manner, the construction in liig. 3 being merely illustrative of the invention. llt will be further seen that the bodies may be moved so that two bodies may be baked at one time m in the same place as where heretofore but a single body could be baked. lin addition it will benoted that the bodies may be moved g in double-deck relation on the rack U directly to the upper and lower runs ot conveyors ywhich carry the bodies to the trim lines where the upholstery is assembled or other nishing work done on the bodies. Where heretofore a given amount of licor space was v required for storing bodies during production, byvirtue ot this invention but halt this space is required for storing the same number of bodies, thereby enabling considerable door space to be liberated for other uses'in the plant. .ln addition it will be noted that the bodies may be loaded and unloaded dou-- ble-deck without requiring any special handling equipment, such as hoisting devices, and that the movement of the bodies is greatly simplied, eliminatin considerable labor and-eliminating much o the danger heretofore prevalent in marrin or damaging the linished surface ot the bo ies.

1. A portable conve ance :tor movin i two bodies at a time one a ove the other, w els for supporting the conveyance adjacent the licor, said conveyance comprising a skeleton frame of a size to enclose the lower body, the top ofsaid frame formin an upper deck for supporting the upper bod a pair ot caster carrying bars for supporting each body, and

devices for locking the caster carrying barsy tor each body in xed relation to the frame.

2. A portable conve nce for moving two bodies at a time one a ove the other, wheels for supporting the conveyance adjacent the iioor, said conveyance comprisin a skeleton frame of a size to enclose the lower body, the top of said frame formin an upper deck for supporting the upper bo caster carrying bars for supporting the bodies, and de- `vices cooperating with the caster bars of the upper and lower bodies for .locking said bodies in fixed relation tothe frame.

3. The combination of a portable conveyance for moving two bodies at a time one above the other, wheels for supporting the conveyance adjacent the iioor, -said conveyance comprising a frame of a size to enclose the lower body and having an upper deck for supporting the upper body, caster carryinl members for supporting the bodies, and means including swinging devices for locking the caster carrying members and frame together.

4. The combination of a portable conveyance for moving two bodies at a time one above the other, wheels for supporting the conveyance adjacent the door, said conveyance comprising a frame of a size to enclose the lower body and havin an upper deck for supporting the upper bo caster carryin members for supporting each body, an( means for locking the bo ies to the frame including stationary. devices cooperating with certain of the caster carrying members and swinging devices cooperatm with the others. In testimony whereof I a my si ature.

ROBERT T.' RO 

